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Brigitte Bardot hair: a modern take

Some hairstyles have a habit of dipping in and out of fashion, while others are so classic they never seem to date. It’s one from the latter category that we focus on today, drawing inspiration from those icons of the 1960s that were so seductive, so utterly sex kitten, that it’s hard to imagine their voluminous hairstyles ever being less than desirable.

So while perfect as a 2013 hairstyle, and surely beyond as the sixties fashion revival continues its rise to dominance, this is also a style that can be adapted and varied year after year, and thus one well worth mastering. It’s a modern take on a style we often associate with the likes of Brigitte Bardot: a half up bouffant hairstyle.

The style will work on hair shoulder length or longer; the longer the hair, though, the fuller and more glamorous you can make this particular style.

Read on for the full ‘how to’, and if you like this hairstyle please be sure to let us know by clicking like below or leaving us a comment at the bottom of this guide.

We worked with Melbourne hair stylist Annika and Scene Models’ Rhiannon Tragear to create the following ‘how to‘ guide.

Make sure there is enough texture and support in the hair to make the style hold.

In this example we’ve kept the texture just enough to add volume but not so much to make the style messy. For night time, or to really add to the sixties sex kitten feel of the look you can add even more texture.

To keep the texture in place use a volumising mousse.

Separate the hair into sections and curl it, away from the face, using either a curling iron or hot rollers. On Rhiannon’s hair a ghd hair iron was used to create curls throughout the hair.

Brush the curls out to break them up and give them a softer, more natural look.

Separate out a circular section of hair at the top of the crown. You can use a mirror to see the back of your head if creating the style on yourself.

Next, divide the section into smaller partings. These will be back-combed, starting at the back so it’s easier to build up volume and height.

Hold the very back parting with medium tension and with a comb work the root area only. Back-combing, if done right, shouldn’t cause too much damage to your hair and shouldn’t knot. Tip: work the comb about an inch away from scalp, put comb in and work in curved movements down to root area, take comb out of root area and repeat.

Follow the same back-combing process with each of the partings of hair.

After all the back-combing is completed your hair should look something like this. Don’t worry if it’s messy at this stage – only a few more steps until you have a sixties Brigitte Bardot bouffant hairdo.

Softly brush the very top layer of hair back, smoothing it over the back-combed section.

Work your bouffant shape into the desired height and roundness, then pull back the hair and pin it in the centre with bobby pins to hold it in place.

To add polish to your sixties Brigitte Bardot hairstyle bring two more smaller side sections of hair into the style.

Pin the two side sections in place. Tip: lightly twist each side into the centre as you do this to help create balance and a smoother finish.

Spray the hair lightly all over with a firm hold hairspray to finish.

And that’s it: you now have a simple to complete, subtle take on 60s sex kitten hair.

While this is a modern take, you can make the style more extreme and more authentically Brigitte Bardot by exaggerating the curls and the back combed texture even more.

Should you have any further questions on how to or would like to comment on the hair style feel free to leave us a comment below.

beyond Brigitte Bardot: other hairstyles

For other hair ‘how to’ guides and styling inspiration pictures, be sure to visit Fashionising.com’s guide to all the 2011 hair trends. In the guide you’ll find other hair styles, along with on-trend cut and colours.